Healthy Cooking Made Easy

I wait to make this recipe every year when the weather gets “cooler”..In South Florida cool is considered anything below 70 degrees :0)

After living in Boston for a bit, I became a connoisseur of Clam Chowder..And let me tell you there are so many ways to make this soup good and some just plain awful..But I found a couple of recipes that I did like and incorporated them into one with a healthy spin on it…So here it is! Hope you love it as much as we do.

1 small butternut squash peeled and idce into cubes

1 large onion diced and divided in half

6-8 cloves of garlic minced and divided

4 stalk of celery chopped

2 carrots chopped coarsely

2-3 lbs of little neck steamers ( when I can I use the Ipswich Steamers..the absolute best steamer I have ever had in my life..I’d do a commercial for them if I could!!)

6 cups fat free chicken broth

2 cups fat free creamer

3.4 cup cooking white wine..(A dry Chardonnay is also helpful)

2 cans of white beans undrained..1 can pour into blender and puree, the other can add to soup

1 tbsp thyme

2 bay leafs

salt and pepper

1 tsp paprika

2 tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp Italian Seasoning

1-2 tsp red pepper flakes

5 slices of Canadian bacon diced

1 a large pot with lid..add half of the onions and garlic, drizzle with olive oil and 1 tbsp unsalted butter…Cook for about 5 min on high heat and add in white wine, reduce heat slightly. add in rinsed steamers and cover with lid cook for 8-10 min. All the clam should be open and smiling at you. 🙂 resist the urge to eat one..one less for the soup. Set colander on top of a bowl and drain steamers in the colander. Let cool. Once cooled off remove all the steamers and put into another bowl..Rinse and strain them once, Stir the remaining broth from the steamers and pour again thru colander into another bowl..slowly so that the sand stay in the bottom. Set aside as well.

Place all the veggies into the pot , drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper. Cook for 10 min stirring often..Add in Canadian bacon can of beans, chicken broth and seasonings plus the bay leafs. Add the broth from the steamers as well. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat..Simmer for awhile. Add in steamers…again resist the temptation to just eat one of those succulent things!Take 2 cups of the soup into a measuring cup and add in the fat free creamer slowly and then return back to the pot. Simmer on low for about 20 in and then place lid on stock pot and turn off the heat!

Ladle into BIG bowls and serve with a warm Whole Wheat Baguette to soak up all the broth…Don’t forget the hot sauce 🙂

You can find the cedar planks at any gourmet store…Soak for atleast an hour in water. Heat grill to med-high. Place cedar plank on grill and close cover, heat for 3 min. Flip over cedar plank and then place salmon on planks..cover and cook for about 10-12 min…. 🙂 Let sit for 5 min loosely covered with foil

I’m serving up sides of skewers of grilled vegetables and Black beans and Brown Rice . I have fresh chives to chop and place on top of Salmon cooked…

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray pan with baking spray. Mix all ingredients together well, use your hands! Form into patties..Place pan on stove top and heat 2 tbsp olive oil to medium high. Brown on both sides about 4-5 min each. Place in baking dish and bake in oven for 35-45 min.

Pre heat oven to 350. Place 2 pieces of Mahi Mahi in baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Press 1/2 of panko mixture on top of each fish, covering the top side of fish. Lightly drizzle olive oil over each piece of fish. Bake for 25-30 min,, the end of the fish should flake off.

Like this:

I planned for tomorrows dinner so that there is no guess work when I get home. I am making Dijon Salmon Cakes over a bed of freshly wilted garlic Spinach. This meal is so healthy in all different aspects, and so very easy to make! Make great leftovers too. Try it out! 🙂 And if you don’t like salmon use crab or tuna…But you’ll be surprised how tasty these cakes are.

I try to plan for at least 4-5 meals a week, and always have a “Leftover Nite”. I can take a meal I made earlier in the week and turn it into something new! For instance I think this week I will reuse the Hearty 3 Bean Chili and turn them into a burrito of sorts! Stay tuned for that later on this week!

So I was thinking that tonight for dinner I think I’ll use the left over brown rice and make a Shrimp and Feta Bake with Diced Tomatoes. So easy to make and so tasty! I am a big feta fan, while it provides a robust flavor; it also low fat. I always use reduced fat or fat free because honestly it still tastes great minus all those unwanted calories!! I’ll make a a beautiful spring salad for lunch that way we can have it on the side tonight! I am all about 2 for 1, meaning I try to plan ahead so that its less work for me later. And then I have more time for myself and my family!

Check out my recipe and you can make it too for dinner tonight! Everything goes in one pan and that means only one pan to clean 🙂